Expanded Atlantic Express System
Sitemap ---- Explanation on Why I have Expanded the Atlantic Express System ---- * AE was built along with the earliest parts of the City - "links oldest parts of Rapture" and was the 'main' transit system. * Was supposedly 'replaced' by the Metro system (Bathyspheres and the Trolley system seen in BS1) - perhaps it had improved/more-direct lines for more convenient point-to-point travel. * A mass transit system needs to go where there is alot of need for passenger traffic - connecting to the busiest locations in the City. The in-game map representation hardly shows anything like this (particularly with the overblown monstrous city size which the window view artists created). * That original AE Map shows a bottom edge of the city, and it is NOT the shape of the Metro map - a majority of the city isn't shown at all. It looks like only part of the bottom edge of Rapture (drop off to South when 'highest point' in to the North). * Such a system would actually go somewhere significant throughout the City to serve its purpose: ** If the AE was not larger (than shown) and the Metro was not in place early on, then how did any large number of people get around Rapture conveniently (including to work every day) ? ** The old AE Map shows 3 main lines, with no names on the 2 you never go on in BS2. The map 'endpoint' lights indicated do not necessarily have to be the ends of those lines. Those lines could extend off the map to connect to the rest of the system. The 'AE Depot' likewise could have one or more lines extending beyond it (not shown on the old map that represents the line you are currently on). ** Even Paupers Drop was originally "Maintenance Junction 17" (17 likely implies at least 16 more such nodes) and wasn't exactly a 'heart of the city' location. ** The AE Depot facilities showed a significant amount of equipment that would be for a MUCH LARGER SYSTEM than what is shown on the Map we saw. The Paupers Drop Facility "Maintenance Junction 17" (look up at the ceiling there) is also fairly large even to serve as a secondary maintenance facility. ** Generally, mainlines meet at junction stations so that passengers can transfer to get to their final destination on other mainlines going different directions (you don't see much of this on that Map) ** A City has "Rush Hours" when the passenger traffic increases one or two magnitudes in usage. The Bathysphere system stations do not have the look of 'mass transit' and would become a chokepoint for a real 'city' crowd. It is likely that the AE system was still largely in use to move multitudes of 'the proles', and the more 'affluent' were the ones who commonly used the Bathyspheres (used like Cabs in a City). ** The Trolley 'Street' part of Rapture Transit can carry alot of passengers (and potentially freight) but we saw little sign of it in many parts of Rapture (ignoring discontinuity of the parts that WE WERE shown). If its system was extensive then IT more likely was the system that stole alot of the AEs passengers. ** The Metro Bathyspheres only have limited capacity for passengers (and much less so for freight), so you would need alot of them to meet the needs of a city of 20000+ Novel figure - possibly expanded in 15 year span to ~40000 ?). * The 'replaced' AE system would be still useful for freight operations (much like what happened to Railroads in the US) * The AE System is shown reactivated in the BS2 time frame after allegedly being shut down long before when the Metro took over. It was also supposed to be back in use after Ryan locked down the Bathysphere system. * Even the Metro system only goes to some places on the BS1 map. ** So IT is also only a partial representation of the full Metro system (Austen Bathysphere Company may only have bee one of several competing companies ...) ** Thus, there are more Trolleys on a more extensive 'Street system, and more Bathysphere lines to additional locations. ** No doubt there would also be private Bathysphere lines to industrial/manufacturing sites, and to some private residences, and other 'special' destinations. **Private submarines (more analogous to early Autos, or even planes) and their facilities (stations) likewise wouldn't be shown (its questionable how many people could afford them). * I did not see any ticket booths at the Bathysphere facilities (which we did in the BS2 AE stations). I can hardly expect that part of the system to have been run 'For Free'. Ticket takers might have been used in the station. (We saw pay 'gates' on the way out of Welcome Center). * The Trolley system was likely being developed before the Bathysphere Metro, as the massive structural requirements have to be much more integrated into the buildings/plazas they connect to (as well as the tracks set into the viaduct streets). --- --- --- Expanded Rapture Map Explanation : * The BS2 map AE routes was overlaid on the BS1 map (AE map seen in-game being assumed to be just a Southern section). * Dotted lines are the Atlantic Express extended system (now going to many of the major locations around Rapture) * The Black Solid lines are mostly the Austen Bathysphere Routes (a few additional lines were added). There probably are many more to connect the city better (and to sites not shown on the map). * The extended 'Street' Trolley system is not shown (there would be an extensive system of these to connect buildings in the main town areas. * Additional AE lines extend outside the city to a few industrial sites (likely more than shown on the map below to make the city 'Self-Sufficient). * A scale was defined based on a mention somewhere that Rapture was 3x3 miles in size (versus another saying it was the size of Manhattan, which would make if far larger and much too big for the 20000 population quoted in the Novel). * A few additional sites were added or named, and the general location/contours of Mount Ryan has been indicated. * Some of the original BS1 sites still are unnamed (the numbered ones). They would represent addition 'plaza' clusters of buildings. --- --- --- Map - Larger Area Around Rapture Another picture showing a proposed configuration of Rapture on an underwater volcano (sea mount) that has had its magma chamber collapsed to produce "The Abyss" ... --- --- --- --- --- . .